Another week of Bootcamp—and it's finally feeling like spring in NYC! I can't express how much the sunshine and warmer temperatures have boosted my mood and my energy. I'm not a sad, low-energy person by nature, but this year's never-ending winter was rough. Feeling the sun's rays on my face, breathing spring's fresh, slightly pollen-y air, not having to bundle up in a bazillion layers to walk to the subway—it's amazing.
This past weekend, my husband and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather to go to Roosevelt Island. Despite living in NYC for almost 10 years, I'd never actually been to this island in the middle of the East River—even though it's easily accessible both by subway and by a picturesque tram line. We took the tram, obviously. We spent a few hours walking around the island and seeing the sights, from the small lighthouse on the northern end to the new Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial and park on the southernmost tip. Most of the island is residential, but in addition to those two landmarks you can see the ruins of the Smallpox Hospital that opened in 1856 and closed in the 1950s, as well as the Octogon, which is what remains of the New York City Lunatic Asylum from the 1840s (and is now part of a luxury apartment complex). As a bonus, while we were there a lot of the cherry blossom trees on the island were in bloom, which meant the whole place looked especially lovely.
On the writing front, I had a great week with my manuscript! I added about 4,000 words to the total, and moved six chapters forward. (One chapter was totally new, while the rest involved cutting and revising and adding new scenes and conversations.) If I can do the same this week, I'll be almost three-quarters through this first draft! Not too shabby.
Also on the Bootcamp front, I had two posts on the YA Buccaneers blog last week. In case you missed them:
Interview with Deborah Kreiser, author of THREE WISHES
Learn the Ropes: Don't Let Laziness Win!
That's all for now. Happy spring!
~Kathryn